Power meter



July 17, 1962 R PROFS-r 3,044,306

POWER METER Filed April 22. 1960 INVENTOR. ROBERT L. PROPST United States Patent O 3,044,306 POWER METER Robert L. Propst, Englewood, Colo. (2347 Londonderry, Ann Arbor, Mich.) Filed Apr. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 24,094 2 Claims. (Cl. 73-514) This invention relates to a novel and improved power meter adaptable for use in testing vehicle performance, and more particularly relates to a novel and improved instrument specifically adapted for measuring acceleration and `deceleration characteristics ofan automobile so as to provide a ready indication of automobile performance in a simple and low cost manner.

The instrument of the present invention is designed for installation in a motor vehicle in such a way as to give the operator of a vehicle a continuous, clear indication of the vehicles day to day performance, and this is accomplished primarily by making the instrument readily responsive to acceleration or deceleration characteristics of the motor vehicle under oper-ating conditions. In addition, through the design and construction of the present invention vehicle performance can be compared vdirectly with other cars and such performance can be tested at relatively low speeds of operation if desired, or in accord with conventional practice car performance characteristics can be measured with maximum acceleration under selected gearing and within'specied speed limits.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide for a greatly simplified, durable and inexpensive device which is adapted for installation in a motor vehicle for the purpose of measuring acceleration and deceleration characteristics thereof and in such a way as to provide Ia continuous indication to 'the operator of the performance, and moreover to accomplish the above at low range speeds of operation of the motor vehicle.

It is another object to provide for aV power meter for use in a vehicle and the like which maybe rapidly and easily installed, levelled and calibrated to provide a continuous accurate reading of the rate of change in velocity of the vehicle under operating conditions. i

It is a further and more specific object of the present invention to provide in a power meter instrument for measuring acceleration and deceleration characteristics of an automobile and the like a novel and improved way of mounting a rolling member responsive to velocity changes of the vehicle so as to greatly minimize friction therein and to enable ready response to even small changes in velocity at low rates of speed, and furthermore, -to enable direct translation of such responses to velocity changes into an indicator, also partially responsive to changes in velocity, in order to permit a ready and accurate .means of visually reading and recording such changes. It is a still further object to provide in a power meter installation a way of mounting an inertia member Iadapted Vto be responsive to acceleration or deceleration characteristics (whichever is desired) of the motorvehicle in a substantially frictionless manner, butin such a way -that the dampening effect on the inertia member may be selectively varied depending upon varying operating conditions of the vehicle in which it is installed, together with a quick and easy way of installing and leveling-the entire instrument and wherein the instrument housing itself is so constructed and arranged as to be conformable for installation at varying angles withoutY affecting its performance.

It isan additional object of the present invention to provide in a power meter assembly a novel and improved acceleration and deceleration measuring means together with an indicator, both ofwhich are responsive to changes material, such as a high impact styrene and the halves Vmay be assembled together for example through the use i 3,044,306 Patented July 17, 1962 ice .of power meter, in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section view showing the interior of the power meter illustrated in FIGURE 1; and FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross-sectional View taken o n Aline 3--3 of FIGURE 2.

Referring more particularly tol the drawings, there is shown by way of illustrative example a preferred form of power meter instrument as generally designated at 10 comprised essentially of a base 11 for purposes of mountying or installation in swivelled relation'of an instrument housing 12 of the present invention. Broadly, the instrument housing includes a scale 13 preferably on the front end face thereof and leveling means as dened by amarker 14 and slotted portion 15 in vertical spaced relation to the marker'for receipt of a drop-on wire 16. As best seen from FIGURES 2 and 3 there is disposed within the instrument housing 12 a spaced upwardly and forwardly inclining guideway 18 which at its lowerend is disposed beneath a bearing portion 19 which is adapted to accommodate the pivotal end of an indicator 20. The indicator 20 is in turn preferably defined by an elongate, relatively forwardly extending thin wire pointer 21 which projects through a vertical slot 22 in the instrument housing and which is caused to move upwardly and downwardly along the scale portion 13 in response to actua'- tion or movement of a lever 23 forming apart of the indicator and extending downwardly across the guideway 18. The spaced guideway 1S is formedto receive a'rolling member preferably in the form of a ball 25 in such a way that the rolling member'is free to move along the guideway with a minimum of frictionand for example due to changes in the rate of speed as imparted to the instrument and with the ball or rolling member being of suicient weight to easily force the indicator 20 upwardly and forwardly along the guideway ahead yof the rolling member. In this relation, the construction of the spaced guideway to be described in detail plays a vital part in defining a way in which the ball is free to move forwardly therealong with a minimum of friction and 'also in such a way that the forward extent of movement of the ball for a given change in velocity may be selectively varied by varying the dampening effect of the guideway on the ball but at the same time Without imposing any greater friction on the -ball in moving back and forth. Additionally, the indicator is so designed as to be vcooperative lwith the ball to also be somewhat responsive to vchanges in velocity and to imposed a minimum resistance onthe forward movement of the ball throughout its path of movement. l

In the preferred construction and arrangement of the instrument housing, the embodiment illustrated in the drawings will be described in relation to mounting or installation on the dashboard of an automobile with the Vscale 13 on the instrument housing facing the vehicle operator so as to be easily readable at all times and provide the operator with a constant check on car performance. As stated, the indicator will reilect Vthe movement of the rolling member for a given traversalalong the guideway in response to a given change in velocity. Accordingly, the base 11 .is formed of a pair ofmating halves 27 composed of aV suitable metallic kor Vplastic 3 of asuitable adhesiveto form'an upwardly tapering riser portion 28 `having an intermediate slotted `portion 29 and a spherical recess 30, Ytogether with openings 31 to provide respectively for accommodation and connection E"of thein'st'ru'ment housing inswivelle'd relation 'to the base. Y l l In'fttirn, the'instrument section 113 is similarly formed of'fmating,generally cup-shaped halves 34 also 'com- 'posed ofsomerigicl material suchas metal or plastic. Each half for example'may be molded into the desired congurnatiofn to provide a flat side Vwall 35, rearwardly ."'curving endwalls 36 `and agfrontal or face portion 37.

"Spaced'longthe 4end walls 36 are male-and female position indicators V38- for interconnection of athe halves, 4alig'nedfbosses projecting inwardly from the intersurfaces o'fthesidc walls v35, and also aligned track portions 40. The tracks 14'0 curve li'r'st downwardly Vand rearwardly from the aligned bosses,'as at'41^then change direction :abruptly ."t'o rextend forwardly along an upwardly curving jc'ourse of travel'in spaced relation to ther-bosses and to- 'ward tliefront `falce offthe halves as'indicated at 42. f '(:The positionlocators 38 are defined by openings on oneside tojreceive lugs on the other'half for interconnection ofY thehalves in aligned relation so, that the bosses 39 are also Vaccurately aligned to form the common bearing portion 19. In connected relation, it 'will also be noted that the "face vr37 on, one half is formed lwith the vertical slotted 'portion 22 extending substantially the length thereof and `the opposite half is formed withthe vertical graduated `scal e12r so as `to be disposeddirectly adjacent to the vertical s lpottedjportion. It will be further seen that the cfrontfface 37 forming the vertical slotted portion and scale is slightly raised and this is for the purpose of connection of a clear cover 44 composed of a Celluloid or Vother clear'plastic Vmaterial which is bent to be applied -in Vspaced relation over the scale and slotted portion with ,the edgesof the cover contacting the raisededgeportion "of the front face. Av suitable 'adhesive 'can then be used tojconnectj the edge portions and securely position the i, rer to seal in Vthe scaleand vertical slotted portion and iprevent 'the entry Vof dust and' other `foreign materials. Specifically in order to properly mount the housingin adjustable relation the recess30 is'. proportioned for in- ?sertionfof'a 'similarly shaped spherical extremity 45V on leg`46l projecting downwardly from the combined halves 134, fandthe extremity includes la transverse vopening 'to mon bearing 19 to receive the pivot end of the 'indicator Z0.

In turn, the track portions are formed to taper inwardly into spaced pointed'extremities 54 which actually form the spaced guideway for .travel of the rolling member 25. The spacing between the extremities 54 is dictated in accordance with the dimensions of the rolling member 'so that the pointed extremities will contact opposed sides of the ball or rolling member on the lower half thereof. From this it will be seen that to vary the dampening effect of the spaced guideway on the ball, of coursethe (deeper the ball Vis suspended in `the tracksv the-more the actionof-the ball is dampened-in rolling upthe,` tracks.y lnfo'ther words, for the ball to move up the track a given distance it must make progressively more turns the deeper it is seated infthetrack. Nevertheless,-even with the greatest dampening eiect on the ball it will be seen that line or'point'contact is Ymaintained betweenthe extremities 54 andthe surfaceof the ball so as notfto make it too sluggish in movement while being readily responsive fto reaction'forces to move by its inertia upwardly alongthe guideway.

VTo properly indicate thisV movement theindicator 20 as statedis formed of a straight Vpointer 21 which is of receivefajsuitable connecting Ibolt 48 projecting through fthef'op'enings 31 Aandextremities'to receive nutV 49 and c'on'nect'the instrument housing in swivelled'relation to the base. To properly level the instrument housing in relationto the dashboard, once the base is secured therelto,`tll1eilevelling,means as described is employed to provide' the most convenient and simple way of'levellingY or initially 'installing the instrument housing so Vthat the pointer 21 will initially rest at zero onthe scale. VFor 'this[p urpose, theV markerf14' may merely consist of an "upwardly pointing projection formed on the exterior sur- "fa'ce fof 'onesidewall 35 of the housing and the slotted :portion 15 maybe formed by'spaced ridges 50 extending lorizontllyacross'tle top" end walls of 'the instrument housing in vertical relation vto the `marker 14. As will be bstse'en from FIGURE l, the slotted portion'lS is to faccommodate 'the drop-on'wire 16 and this wire merely includes a bent end'52 for extension across the-slotted ',pfortion together with '-a perpendicular, relatively long :pointer end l53'for extension downwardly along the out- Vside'surface ofthe side wall. Then, to levelI thedropion wire andthe -entire instrument housing it is only necessary to 'swivel the instrument Ysection in'relation "to 'the baseuntil the wire 16 is v rtically aligned with 'the 'marker 14. l

Again referring to the vinterior design and construction a length to extend forwardly through the vertical slotted portion 22Y and includes at its tip end a marker 55 which extends across the scale in order to provide an exterior re-ection of ,the movement of the ball 25. In addition, the'lever 23 preferably curves Kforwardly but down- `wardly from the pointer end across the path of travel ofV the ball and preferably projects completely through 4the spaced guideway for a substantial distance so as to maintain contact with the ball completely throughout Ythe guide path. Both -the pointer and Alever verge into a common pivotal end portion 56-having oppositely extending bearing ends S7 for connection in journaled relation Vto the fbearing 19 so as to make the entire indicator freely pivotal in response to forward rotation of the ball.l Of additional importance is the fact that by forming the indicator with the downwardly projecting lever asat 23 this lever will also be somewhat responsive to changes in speed of the vehicle in a manner'similar to the ball itself. The advantage ofthis is thatitwill `tendjto move injthe same direction asthe ball and will Yoier little resistanceto its upward and fonward movement. Otherwise, through the use of a pointer alone, since it projects more nearly horizontally from the pivot end itlwill not Vbe as closely responsive or even responsive at all-in a horizontal position to changes in velocity of the vehicle. Yet with the use of the lever, the pointer may be extended substantially in horizontal relation so as to permit veasy reading on a vertical' scale as reflected by movements'of the horizontal pointer in response to movement of theleverandball.

In a typical manner of installation of the power meter onthe dashboardof a motor vehicle, `a suitable adhesive `material may be Iapplied to the underside of the base or `mount and 'then vpressed to the dashboard top or front `in a convenientlocation. Assuming the car is on level ground land very accurate installation is desired, dropon wire 16 may be positioned as described VandV the instrument housing swivelled until the wire pointer lines upwith the marker 14 on the housing. VThe connection bolt 48 is then tightened and the entireinstallation is properly mounted.V At this point, the drop-on wire 16 maybe removed and usedV again only when resetting is necessary. In this connection, the ideal general mounting position would be on top of the dashboard in the general area of the speedometer as in the preferred form whereI the instrument housing 4section is connected at its bottom to the base.` In this relation and once levelled the entire installation is soV calibrated that the pointer l should rest at the zero marking on the scale. In calibrating the scale itself this may merely be an arbitrar-y, compara- -tive selection ldesi-gnedforthepurpose of comparing .day

by day performance of the car so as to detect any changes in response of the indicator for a given change in velocity or acceleration. In general, the relation of the zero point on the meter face and the zero indicator point on the marker 14 can be determined, although it will be evident that the marker may move off the zero point in the event of variation due to changes in the level or grade of the road or highway.

In the construction and assembly of the instrument housing, all parts thereof may be formed of the same material in a single molding operation. The ball or other suitable rolling member, for example a cylindrical member having rounded end portions may be suitably formed of steel or brass, or may if desired be plated and the latter is especially desirable in damp climates where corrosion may yaffect the performance of the rolling member. lln addition, the calibrated face forming the scale 13 on the housing may be formed in a number of ways such as by printing directly on the recessed face portion 37, by use of decals or by adhesive-backed printed paper.

As designed, the -power meter of the present invention is specifically adapted for measuring acceleration of the Vehicle in that with the scale and guirdeway directed rearwardly in relation to the forward movement of the car the ball 25 will be urged to move in a rearward direction only in response to increases in velocity, but as soon :as the velocity becomes constant or decreases, the ball and lever will immediately return to the position of rest at the lower end of the guideway. lt will be apparent however that these conditions may be reversed if desired in order to measure deceleration or braking ability of an automobile such as merely by reversing the entire installation or at least by reversing the disposition of the guideway. ln any application, due to its simplicity, inexpensiveuess and compact construction, the device of the present invention may be a permanent installation or is available as an accessory item for use in virtually any type of vehicle.

\It is accordingly to be understood in accordance with the above that va number of changes and modifications may be made in the preferred embodiment of the present invention without departing from the scope thereof, as dened by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A test meter instrument adapted for use in a motor vehicle to measure acceleration or deceleration characteristics under operating conditions, comprising a base, an instrument housing connected in pivotal relation to the base including a graduated scale with a vertical slot extending therealong and levelling indicia on the side of the housing with a notched portion in spaced vertical relation to the indicia, said housing being in the form of two interconnected halves and the interior surface of each half including aligned bosses to form a bearing and correspondingly upwardly inclining tracks located beneath said bearing tapering inwardly from the housing surface to dene a spaced guideway, a ball dimensioned lfor free rolling movement along the guideway with said trate-lcs contacting opposed points on the lower half of said ball, an indicator including a pivot -pin for connection in journaled relation in said bearing, a pointer projecting forwardly `for extension through the vertical slot in the housing and a lever curving downwardly from said pivot pin across the path of movement of said ball so as to be responsive to movement of said ball to cause movement of said pointer across the face of said scale.

2. A test meter instrument adapted for use in a motor vehicle to measure acceleration or deceleration characteristics under operating conditions, comprising a base, an instrument housing connected in pivotal relation to the base including an exterior graduated scale with a verticai slot extending therealong, said housing being in the form of two interconnected halves and the interior surface of each half including aligned bosses to form a bearing and correspondingly upwardly inclining tracks located beneath said bearing tapering inwardly from the housing surface to define a spaced guideway, a ball dimensioned for free rolling movement along the guideway with said tracks contacting opposed points on the lower half of said ball, an indicator including a pivot pin for connection in journaled relation in said bearing, a pointer projecting forwardly rfrom said pivot pin for extension through the vertical slot in the housing and a lever curving downwardly from said pivot pin across the path of movement of said ball being freely responsive to movement of said ball to initiate movement of said pointer across the face of said scale.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,801,878 Petersen Apr. 21, 1931 2,052,205 Baughman Aug. 25, 1936 2,085,310 Gilliam June 29, 1937 2,157,514 Whipple May 9, 1939 2,733,116 Fantham et al. Ian. 31, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 301,774 Great Britain Dec. 3, 1928 

